Help ! S3 erratic idle
Discussion
Hi, Having just bought an S3 a week ago I now seem to have a problem with the idling. Car starts immediately but then revs drop from approx 1000 to below 500 before picking up to 1000 and then dying again. Sometimes revs drop lower and engine fails to catch resulting in a stall. I am also noticing slight misfire during nromal running but unsure if probs linked. Have changed HT leads today, cleaned idle valve and checked distributor as suggested on forum items. Any other ideas to help newcomer gratefully received.
just wanted to say hello and wellcome
Hi "Ballistic Banana" and thanks for the suggestion. I have disconnected the throttle pot and tried to run the car without it - the symptoms are still there so I have discounted it but thanks for the help. Also thanks to "Pies" for the welcome. It is this sort of cameraderie that makes owning a TVR worth it although it has taken 15 years to fulfil the dream of owning one myself.
>> Edited by ratman on Friday 4th July 21:15
>> Edited by ratman on Friday 4th July 21:15
Firstly, welcome to the mad-house...
Hmm... this could be many things. Throttle pot would have been my guess... could check the sparks, but failing that I think I'd consider getting someone to look at it.
Oh, and buy the "bible" - a book written by Steve Heath (shpub on here) and avilable from the TVRCC website. Invaluable problem solving in this sort of thing.
Hmm... this could be many things. Throttle pot would have been my guess... could check the sparks, but failing that I think I'd consider getting someone to look at it.
Oh, and buy the "bible" - a book written by Steve Heath (shpub on here) and avilable from the TVRCC website. Invaluable problem solving in this sort of thing.
Forgot to add that after having a similiar problem and checking the Pot, fuel filter etc i got a mobile Tuner around and he plugged into the emu and found it nearly straight away.
He found it to be a faulty connector to the EMU/ECU that was sending allsorts of wrong signals.
He returned teh nest day with a new one put it in and i had no problems again up to the day i sold it.( an S3).
From memory this cost me no more than £100 with the parts Labour and Tune. this was about 2 1/2 yrs ago.
BB
He found it to be a faulty connector to the EMU/ECU that was sending allsorts of wrong signals.
He returned teh nest day with a new one put it in and i had no problems again up to the day i sold it.( an S3).
From memory this cost me no more than £100 with the parts Labour and Tune. this was about 2 1/2 yrs ago.
BB
Thanks to HaggisHead and BB. Will try options over the weekend and then consider enlisting outside help although I would prefer to get to the bottom of it myself if poss as part of the learning curve. I have also heard a rumour that Halfords do a box that provides decodes when plugged into the diagnostic socket. Anybody know if these are worthwhile?
haggishead said:
I would also check the idle speed control valve
I would agree with haggishead that it could be that the idle speed control valve needs cleaning. Get hold of a copy of the Haynes Granada or Sierra XR4i manual, it shows you what to do to remove it and clean it with Carb Cleaner.
Suggest you find a local breakers yard that might have either vehicle in for breaking and buy the Idle speed Control valve and clean it up. Also buy some used throttle pots at the same time. If you use the search facility above for idling problems or throttle pots it will give you more info such as unplugging the throttle pot to see if that cures the problem as the EMU sets itself to get you home mode. This does not lose much power as you can read on better detailed threads than I can provide.
Good Luck, Oh and welcome
those halfords boxes do work - not as well as full ford diagnostic computer (we are talking £20,000 versus "18.99 here!) but they do work. bear in mind that they sometimes only give a clue to the fault - for example it might give a code that means "throttle pot not working" but it might be a broken wire or loose connection.
also, the ford ecu doesn't have "Keep Alive Memory" so the machine only tells you faults that are there at the time - KAM gives you "intermittent faults since last test" as well... only the later granada ecu had KAM.
there are a number of different connections - make sure you get the right 2-pin or 3-pin connector and the right shape - some are flat, some are triangular...
also, the ford ecu doesn't have "Keep Alive Memory" so the machine only tells you faults that are there at the time - KAM gives you "intermittent faults since last test" as well... only the later granada ecu had KAM.
there are a number of different connections - make sure you get the right 2-pin or 3-pin connector and the right shape - some are flat, some are triangular...
Right, just searching tghrough some old paperwork i kept from my S ownership< havent got the Mobile TUner stuff but got a mail from Marcus Brady who helps advise owners in the TVRCC.
He suggested to me who had a similiar problem as u well know.
Could be Throttle pot,Fuel Filter, check fuel pipes routing as they can get to hot and vapourise the fuel in them, also the electrical connections on the fuel pump and the ECU(which was, in the end the prob i had)
BB
He suggested to me who had a similiar problem as u well know.
Could be Throttle pot,Fuel Filter, check fuel pipes routing as they can get to hot and vapourise the fuel in them, also the electrical connections on the fuel pump and the ECU(which was, in the end the prob i had)
BB
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=11&h=0&t=41683
One of a number of similar threads, I'm sure.
It's worth having a go at cleaning the throttle potentiomener, and I used to use a 'rubber and nylon lubricant' I got from Halfords, I think, as it's plastic on plastic. Cheaper too.
When S's were new, my local dealer used to keep a big box of pot's, such was the problem. Irregular use can't help either, or it'd have been a problem for Granada owners.
One of a number of similar threads, I'm sure.
It's worth having a go at cleaning the throttle potentiomener, and I used to use a 'rubber and nylon lubricant' I got from Halfords, I think, as it's plastic on plastic. Cheaper too.
When S's were new, my local dealer used to keep a big box of pot's, such was the problem. Irregular use can't help either, or it'd have been a problem for Granada owners.
Thanks to everyone for the replies. They have certainly helped and have sorted out my weekend for me !!! Thanks to Yellabelly - my next reply was going to be to another thread from you as I realise we are less than 10 miles apart - I am just south of Lincoln so when I fix this fault we could possibly meet up along with the other guy from Lincoln you were talking to.
Just spent time cleaning and checking all the connectors and started the engine - still the same. Then disconnected the throttle pot and all seemed well. Went for a celebration run around the block with it disconnected and engine runs well so just need to wait until Monday to sort one out. Thanks again to everybody that helped me start my journey up the S3 learning curve.
ratman said:
Just spent time cleaning and checking all the connectors and started the engine - still the same. Then disconnected the throttle pot and all seemed well. Went for a celebration run around the block with it disconnected and engine runs well so just need to wait until Monday to sort one out. Thanks again to everybody that helped me start my journey up the S3 learning curve.
Just a thought RatMan if u look up a guy called Vodkakid on here. I gave him a spare Pot i had for him to try on his S as he had idleing problems.
He was unfortunate to of wrote hes car off a few weeks after so may have it, He now has a Griffith so its of no use to him.
He posts in the Griffith forum occasionally, or u might find his profile in the members area under S owners.
BB
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